The present invention relates to alternatively using magnetic or electric field devices to enhance combustion. More particularly, the present invention relates to alternatively using magnetic or electric field devices to enhance combustion and treat the corresponding products of combustion to increase fuel efficiency and reduce exhaust pollutants.
One method attempting to increase engine fuel efficiency has been to treat the fuel prior to entering the combustion chamber with a magnetic field. Treatment of fuel includes placing magnets onto or within the fuel supply line. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,572,145, 4,188,296 and 5,129,382 describe magnets being attached to the fuel line. A fuel in-line magnetic field treatment static mixer device is cited in U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,919. U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,296 notes that oil fuel is magnetizable and if an oil burner nozzle is magnetizable, it will be magnetized by the treated oil fuel.
The use of an electric field to treat the fuel is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,494, where electrodes provide a high intensity electric field surrounding a bed of dielectric beads for treatment of fuel flowing between electrodes prior to entering the combustion chamber. U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,267 claims feasibility of coating the many engine components via the air inlet conduit with organic electret materials in a solvent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,915 describes one magnetic treatment utilizing a fuel injector that heats fuel to be injected by an electromagnetic coil. U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,826 describes electrically charging the fuel tube and nozzle to a high electrical potential to charge fuel droplets. U.S. Pat. No. 4,347,825 also describes using a high voltage ring shaped electrode that encircles the injected fuel to electrify fuel particles to prevent them from attaching to the surrounding walls with a second field impressed on the cylinder walls to prevent attachment. U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,267 claims an electrically polarizable material such as an organic electret material in a solvent, can be sprayed over a charged plate and drawn into the engine through an air intake conduit while coating the surfaces it contacts. Later, the resulting solid film becomes polarized as it dries.
The air and fuel mixture in an atomizing fuel chamber is treated by a focused magnetic field as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,953. U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,516 discusses using permanent magnets to treat an air fuel mixture in a duct. U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,296 describes fuel, steam and air in an oil burner being treated by a magnetic field. U.S. Pat. No. 5,977,716 describes using a high voltage to ionize air between electrodes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,637 describes using an electrode that surrounds a nozzle within the combustion chamber to charge the fuel by an electric field. U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,267 claims a charged electret material can be deposited on parts such as valves or a fuel injector within the combustion chamber resulting in an electric field that comes in contact with reactants in the cylinder prior to and during combustion.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,899 describes using an externally powered electric discharge device or an externally powered dielectric discharge device to produce hydroxyl radicals injected into the exhaust stream to reduce pollutants. U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,267 discusses a non-thermal plasma gas treatment combined with a selective catalytic reduction device to reduce the NOx pollutant. A corona generating wire supplies the non-thermal plasma treatment. Several articles in the published literature explain the use of non-thermal electric field treatment using corona discharge or other powered electric field generating devices to produce an electric field in the exhaust stream to assist the catalytic converter in further reducing pollutant gases.
Despite the numerous inventions addressing this problem, there still exists a need for improved enhancement of combustion. The present invention embodies novel configurations to maximize combustion
One object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus to apply either magnetic or electric fields to enhance combustion of fuels to obtain more complete combustion resulting in improved combustion efficiency in internal or external combustion devices.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus to reduce the formation of exhaust pollutants.
Still another object of the invention is to combust any remaining pollutants that exist in the exhaust stream.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that can easily and economically be retrofitted to existing internal combustion engines and external combustion devices to accomplish the several advantages of the invention.
These and other objectives are met by use of the present method and apparatus. The present invention treats the fuel stream by placing a configuration within the fluid feed section, wherein said configuration may be either a magnetic field component or an electric field component. Said configuration may have a fluted wall forming a small annular space between the configuration and the fuel pipe wall, whereby a thin film of fuel is forced through this space. Alternatively, the configuration may be a porous filter-like component of magnetic construction. The fuel may also be treated by an improved fuel feed nozzle made from a permanent magnet or at least two metals that exhibit a standard potential difference.
The air stream is treated by placing a configuration within the air stream conduit wherein said configuration may be either a magnetic field component or two metals that exhibit a standard potential difference, thereby creating an electric field. Said magnetic field component configuration may be in the form selected from the group consisting of parallel magnetic plates, magnetically coated honeycomb grid and a mesh of magnetic material filled fibers. Said electric field configuration may be in the form of closely spaced opposite parallel plates of metal pairs such as copper and aluminum.
The in-cylinder combustive mixture is treated by placing either a magnetic or electric field component onto a spark plug. Furthermore, the in-cylinder combustive mixture is treated by placing a magnetic field component within the combustion chamber.
The exhaust system is treated by placing a configuration having a magnetic or electric field component within the exhaust gas return (EGR) conduit and/or before the catalytic converter. Said electric component may be an electret or two metals that exhibit a standard potential difference, thereby creating an electric field. Said configuration may be in the form of parallel plates, coated honeycomb or fibers.